HEMPSTEAD Valley Shopping Centre has won a national award for working well with local media. The Gillingham complex won the accolade at a national gathering of shopping centre managers in Manchester.

Bluewater was among four UK shopping centres scooping a BCSC Purple Apple award for its media relations. It also won an award for advertising.

The Purple Apples, now in their 10th year, are awarded by the retail property organisation BCSC and recognise 12 categories

of marketing, PR and advertising efforts.

The awards, chosen from a record 106 entries, were announced at BCSC's Shopping Centre Management Conference attended by more than 400 centre and asset managers from across the UK and Ireland.

Jenefer Greenwood, BCSC president, said: "The BCSC Purple Apple Marketing Awards exist to recognise and reward effective shopping centre marketing and this year's award and merit winners can be extremely proud of their recognition."

Meanwhile, at the same event, the Property Managers Association (PMA) commended Lakeside in Essex for customer service.